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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693637">Baby Please Come Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MementoMori525/pseuds/MementoMori525'>MementoMori525</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Crankiplier - Fandom, Unus Annus - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF, Youtuber RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Boys In Love, Christmas fic, CrankGameplays - Freeform, Established Relationship, Ethan Nestor - Freeform, Fluff, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mark Fischbach - Freeform, Mark and Amy are not a thing in this story, Markiplier - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, crankiplier - Freeform, i suck at summaries, post unus annus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:49:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693637</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MementoMori525/pseuds/MementoMori525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ethan's family convinces him to spend Christmas in Maine. Unfortunately, work commitments prevent Mark from joining him. A surprise awaits Ethan on Christmas Day.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Crankiplier, Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>172</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another Christmas fic (see the first "chapter" of my Crankiplier Collection)! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, so I'm projecting that energy into my writing. I was heavily inspired to write this after listening to Ethan sing "Baby Please Come Home" (hence the title of this fic). His voice is so beautiful and I've listened to it at least once a day for the last couple of weeks. If you haven't seen that video, highly recommend you go watch it! I will write and upload Part Two as soon as possible. I probably hold the Guinness World Record for worst writers block. I will pre-apologize for how long it may or may not take me to complete it. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated (if you enjoyed it, of course). Thank you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As fate would have it, after a week-long visit to Korea, Mark returned home mere <i>hours</i> after Ethan left for Maine. What was supposed to be a forty five minute layover in Atlanta turned into spending nearly half a goddamn day at the airport. If his flight had been delayed simply because the plane to LA was running behind schedule, he would have chartered a private one and made it back just in time to see Ethan off. </p><p>Chica, Henry and Spencer were overjoyed to see him, as always; Amy had graciously kept the three puppers company in his and Ethan’s absence. One would imagine that Mark would appreciate the alone time after spending virtually every day for the last <i>year</i> with his flamboyant boyfriend (and more recently, his mothers side of the family), but...the house was eerily and uncomfortably quiet. </p><p>Mark sighed softly as he flopped down on the couch. Spencer trotted over and rested his chin on Mark’s knee, which prompted Mark to affectionately scratch him behind the ear. “Hey Spence.” He murmured, voice thick with exhaustion. “You miss your daddy?” Spencer closed his eyes, very much enjoying the attention he was being given. “Yeah, me too.” Mark removed his phone from his front pocket with his unoccupied hand and checked the time. It was quarter to nine, which meant it was almost midnight in Maine. </p><p>Mark unlocked his phone and tapped the green telephone icon, then selected Eef from his list of recent calls. He swiftly pressed the FaceTime button and waited not-so-patiently for Ethan to (hopefully) answer. Shortly after the third ring, the call was accepted and Ethan’s adorable face appeared on the screen. “Hiiiiii.” </p><p>Mark couldn’t help but smile; much like the dogs, Ethan was eternally happy to see him. “Hello yourself. I’m surprised you’re still up.”</p><p>Ethan glanced over at the digital clock sitting atop the bedside table. “I mean, technically I’m still on LA time, so my body thinks it’s early.” </p><p>Mark hummed lowly and continued to idly rub Spencer behind his ear. “Makes sense.”</p><p>“I see you finally made it home.”</p><p>“Yeah, fuck.” Mark lolled his head back against the plush couch cushions. “I don’t wanna step foot in an airport ever again.” That was a bit of an exaggeration, but presently accurate. “What about you? How was your flight?” He asked bitterly, anticipating his partner's response. </p><p>Ethan smiled guiltily and moved to sit down on the edge of the guest room bed. “I’m sorry to report that it was actually a very good experience, all around. Ten out of ten.” </p><p>Mark gave a halfhearted shake of his head. “No, no. I’m glad it was, really.” He removed his hand from Spencer’s ear and rubbed his tired eyes. His body was more than ready to turn in for the night, though, without Ethan snuggled up against him, he doubted sleep would find him so easily. “I’d happily endure twice as much bullshit if it meant...you know, that you wouldn’t have to.” </p><p>Ethan beamed at his boyfriend’s statement. “Awww, babe, that’s so sweet!” </p><p>“S’true.” Mark chuckled quietly and folded his free arm behind his head. “How’s your family? Everyone good?” </p><p>Ethan nodded as he scooted back on the bed, to lean against the wall. “Yeah! Everybody’s doing good. Andrew picked me up from the airport and we met the rest of our family for dinner.” He drew his knees up to his chest and pouted sweetly. “Every single one of them asked about you. Literally.” </p><p>Mark smiled sadly. “Tell them I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. If I didn’t commit to that charity stream tomorrow, I would have flown straight there from Korea.” Spencer whined and nudged Mark’s leg with his nose, urging Mark to pet him again. “I think Spencer misses you already.”</p><p>“Aw, Spencer! Don’t be sad!” Ethan exclaimed. “I miss you, too, bud! I’ll be home in a few days and I promise I’ll give you lots and lots of treats and kisses.” </p><p>Mark sultrily gazed into the front facing camera. “He’s not the only one that misses you, y’know.”</p><p>The younger man flushed a lovely shade of pink and unconsciously licked his lips. “Yeah? Well...I promise to give you lots of treats and kisses, too.” </p><p>An all too familiar heat pooled in Mark’s abdomen at the implications. “Mm. What kinds of treats?”</p><p>“Maaaaaaark.” Ethan whimpered. “We caaaaan’t. And if I tell you now, it’ll spoil the surprise.” He didn’t want to delve into further detail, just to have this train come to a screeching halt as it was picking up steam. “Not only that, but you look like you’re about to pass the fuck out, babe.”</p><p>Mark grunted an affirmative, eyelids becoming heavier by the second. “That’s ‘cause I am.” He mumbled. “Guess that means I should go to sleep. Sans my Eef.” A melodramatic sigh slipped from his lips. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”</p><p>Ethan snickered and playfully rolled his eyes. “For your information, Spencer is a <i>great</i> cuddle buddy.”</p><p>“Careful. He might replace you.”</p><p>The young YouTubers facial expression feigned hurt. “W-What? You wouldn’t.”</p><p>Mark chuckled and moved his arm from behind his head. “You’re right.” He assured his boyfriend with a sincere, sleepy smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? I’ll be able to provide more riveting commentary when I’m not dead on my feet.” </p><p>Ethan grinned and nodded. “Alright. Call me when you wake up?”</p><p>“I will.” Mark promised. “Sleep well.”</p><p>“You too. Love you.”</p><p>“Love you, too, Eef.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry that it took me a little over a week to complete this. Both my personal life and work has been hectic. I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out, so I hope you all like it! I know I'm not the best writer in the world, but I certainly try. I have ideas for some one-shots that I'll eventually write and post to my Crankiplier Collection, so look out for those (you know, if you want). Comments and or kudos are very much appreciated. Thank you!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christmas was <i>supposed</i> to be a joyous holiday, filled with happiness and laughter…</p><p>...but even whilst overindulging in an extravagant breakfast (one reserved exclusively for special occasions) with his family and then opening all of the presents stacked high around the base of the brightly lit Christmas tree, Ethan felt strangely <i>incomplete</i>. His physical body was in Maine, but his heart was still in LA with Mark, as utterly ridiculous and corny as that sounded. He forced himself to put on a brave face, but he had never been particularly skilled at hiding his emotions.</p><p>Ethan ripped open a rather bulky envelope and chuckled at the contents. “I can tell a LOT of thought went into this gift.” He joked as he removed the one-hundred dollar Best Buy voucher. </p><p>Andrew gawked at his younger brother and playfully punched his arm. “Dude, these past couple years, you’ve been like, <i>impossible</i> to buy for!” Nowadays, if Ethan wanted anything, he could easily go out and purchase it himself. Plus, he’d much rather buy Ethan a gift card so that he could get something he legitimately wanted, as opposed to buying him something he may or may not ever use. </p><p>“Noooooo, I’m just kidding!” Ethan grinned and slipped the card back into the semi-tattered envelope before tossing it onto the coffee table. “Deadass, I needed another memory card, and now I can get one! At <i>your</i> expense.” </p><p>Andrew laughed. “I was just gonna say, as if you couldn’t afford it on your own.” </p><p>“But that’s the beauty of a gift card,” Ethan cheerfully explained. “Now I don’t have to!” </p><p>No sooner than those words left his lips, his phone chimed -- indicative of a new text message. Ethan leaned over and grabbed his phone off the arm of the couch, cheeks reddening slightly upon seeing who it was from. Mark was the only person that had such a profound effect on him. He tapped on the unread message from Markimoo, which simply said: <i>Merry Christmas Eef.</i></p><p>Andrew snickered and nudged Ethan with his elbow. “I’m guessing that’s Mark?”</p><p>He nodded with a sad smile as he typed back a reply, prepared to excuse himself to another room if Mark wanted to talk. <i>Merry xmas to you too babe.</i></p><p>Mark sent a follow up text almost immediately. <i>You having a good morning so far?</i></p><p>In that moment, Ethan wished he was snuggled up in bed with Mark. He loved and missed his family, of course, but Mark’s absence made him feel...homesick. That was the best way he could describe it. <i>It's going ok. Wish u were here tho.</i></p><p>Ethan stared blankly at the three gray dots. Seconds later, Mark’s response populated on the screen. <i>You’ll see me soon enough.</i></p><p>Soon enough wasn’t soon <i>enough</i>. He sent Mark a frowning emoji and then set his phone down on the coffee table. “I haven’t seen him in a week...I’ve talked to him multiple times a day, every day...and I <i>still miss him</i>.” Ethan laughed, though it was devoid of humor. “That’s pathetic, right?” </p><p>Andrew shook his head. “No. Why would that be pathetic? There’s nothing wrong with caring about somebody.”</p><p>“But what if I care <i>too</i> much? Like, what if I’m too clingy and Mark gets tired of it--”</p><p>“Ethan -- Ethan, stop.” Andrew interrupted. “You’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep thinking like that.” He gazed intently at his younger brother. “Mark’s an honest guy, right?” Ethan nodded. “He’d tell you if he didn’t like something. At some point or another, I’m sure he’s wondered the same thing.” He patted Ethan’s pajama clad knee and smiled. “So don’t worry too much about it.”</p><p>Deep down, Ethan knew Andrew was right, but when it came to relationships, he lived in a perpetual state of anxiety. It really couldn’t be helped. “I’m trying not to.” Ethan mumbled. “It’s just hard. I care about Mark so much and I’m, like...terrified that I’m gonna screw this up.” He groaned and dragged his hands over his face, which made Andrew snicker. “Sorry. I’m done. Moving on.”</p><p>Andrew opened his mouth to say something when the doorbell rang. Half a second later, their mother, Annie, walked into the living room from the kitchen, cell phone in hand. “Ethan, honey, can you get the door, please?” Ethan curiously looked over at his older brother, who shrugged. Logistically, it would have made more sense to ask Andrew because he was closer (not by much, but still). He stood up from the couch and stepped around the coffee table before proceeding to the foyer, oblivious to the fact that Andrew and his mom were following closely behind. </p><p>Ethan unlocked the door and opened it, momentarily stunned by the figure standing in front of him. “Mark!” He exclaimed with a wide smile and practically threw himself at his boyfriend. Mark promptly wrapped his arms around Ethan’s slim frame and held him tight against his chest, both to shield him from the freezing winter air and because he missed him...honestly, more than he suspected he would. “Mark -- why -- how did you,” the younger man babbled, unable to verbalize a single coherent thought. </p><p>Mark turned his head to press a lingering kiss to Ethan’s temple. “I hopped on a red eye flight as soon as the stream was over.” He replied, grinning at Andrew and Annie over Ethan’s shoulder. “The whole concept of spending Christmas alone was mildly depressing and...are you crying?”</p><p>“No.” Ethan uttered brokenly.</p><p>“You’re crying.”</p><p>“No I’m not.”</p><p>Mark laughed, Ethan’s tone and the wetness on his neck directly contradicting his denial. “It’s okay. I understand that some people find my presence a bit overwhelming.” He teased. “Come on, let's get you inside, it’s freakin’ cold.” He didn’t want to be responsible for Ethan losing his tootsies to frostbite. Andrew picked up the duffel bag that Mark had set off to the side, out of the way. “Also, kudos to Andrew and Annie for successfully keeping this surprise a secret.”</p><p>Ethan pulled away from Mark and whipped around to look at his mom and brother, who donned matching mischievous smiles. “You guys knew about this?!” He shouted as he irritably wiped his eyes. “Traitors!” </p><p>“Merry Christmas!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you wanna chat about Crankiplier or Unus Annus, please feel free to message me on Instagram @shelbymichelle93 or on Tumblr @evilgrowsinthedark</p></blockquote></div></div>
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